Dismount and walk your bike - Glen Echo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: They do, of course, but then they always have some reason why they can’t obey the traffic rules like stopping at stop signs,

Reason 1 - If I can get through BEFORE cars show up at the intersection, I will be safer (those cars do not always stop)
2. I can get away from the impatient driver on my tail
3. I can see well enough to know the intersection is clear, and can keep momentum (nothing to do with shoes)
4. I slow to a slower speed than the cars slow rolling the stop anyway, but you don't notice cause I was not going as fast to begin with.

What? So I'm driving a car, and I can just blow through a stop sign for those reasons. When the police officer stops me, how do you think the excuse "I could see well enough to know the intersection was clear" will fly?

The traffic rules are the rules!

First off, a proper Delaware yield does not blow through a stop sign - it slows down and yields approrpriately.

It is in fact the law in three states and has been discussed in others, including DC. It is NOT the law in Maryland, so yeah, someone doing that in Md is liable to get a ticket.

As for the rules being the rules, everyone knows you won't get a ticket for going 2MPH over the speed limit. And no one thinks you are a scofflaw for going at that speed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists never dismount on portions of the Mount Vernon trail, when they are supposed to (w/ signs), on very narrow portions. It's effing annoying.

You mean the crossing by the airport? That dismount sign is absurd - visibility is great and if a rider DOES need to stop, they can do so and then ride across. No good reason to dismount and walk the bike and so NO ONE does it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
We ban certain off road vehicles and race are because of their "equipment". We ban drivers from wearing headphones, using cell phones, etc. Why? Public safety. These clip-in shoes almost encourage cyclists to stay in motion rather deal with the hassle of taking a second to unclip and walk their bikes.

FWIW public thoroughfares are poorly planned and outmoded around here. Places like Falls Church with new buildings nearly abutting the streets with narrow sidewalks are a disaster. Want to encourage new and multiple forms of people-powered transit? Widen things up, so that cars (a small number of slow moving vehicles), bikes, pedestrians, scooters, etc can move more easily.

1 People unclip to stop ALL the time. Once you are unclipped you can easily walk the bike with no added hassle related to the shoes. If people are not walking their bikes, its because they see it as safe to ride (Again no one has managed a street view of the location) There is simply no evidence that the shoes create a safety problem. Name me one state that has banned them.

2. I ride in Falls Church often. I don't ride on the sidewalks there. I usually ride on Park, which is parallel to Rte 7 and very comfortable for biking, then on a side street to get to businesses on Route 7. The only people riding the sidewalks on Rte 7 are kids or similar newbies who don't know better (and go very slowly).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We ban certain off road vehicles and race are because of their "equipment". We ban drivers from wearing headphones, using cell phones, etc. Why? Public safety. These clip-in shoes almost encourage cyclists to stay in motion rather deal with the hassle of taking a second to unclip and walk their bikes.

FWIW public thoroughfares are poorly planned and outmoded around here. Places like Falls Church with new buildings nearly abutting the streets with narrow sidewalks are a disaster. Want to encourage new and multiple forms of people-powered transit? Widen things up, so that cars (a small number of slow moving vehicles), bikes, pedestrians, scooters, etc can move more easily.

1 People unclip to stop ALL the time. Once you are unclipped you can easily walk the bike with no added hassle related to the shoes. If people are not walking their bikes, its because they see it as safe to ride (Again no one has managed a street view of the location) There is simply no evidence that the shoes create a safety problem. Name me one state that has banned them.

2. I ride in Falls Church often. I don't ride on the sidewalks there. I usually ride on Park, which is parallel to Rte 7 and very comfortable for biking, then on a side street to get to businesses on Route 7. The only people riding the sidewalks on Rte 7 are kids or similar newbies who don't know better (and go very slowly).

BTW, that said, wide sidewalks are nice. But given other constraints on the parcels in question, I think there could have been good reasons for Falls Church to have buildings closer to the street. Oh, and if I were scootering in Falls Church, I would also scooter on Park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean the intersection of a MacArthur and the entry into the Clara Barton? It’s a bit scary how they blow through there. I got yelled at by a cyclist who was behaving in just the manner you described. I posted about it a few weeks ago. I’m with you 100%. They’re going to cause an accident, and between a ton or so of metal and a dude on a bike, guess who’s going to fare better?

OP here - yes this exact location. I hope that no one gets hurt. but it's inevitable. Then everyone will blame the drivers.

Agreed. I’m not excusing aggressive behavior by drivers at all. That intersection is very congested at times, and a place where I’ve seen a lot of dangerous cyclist behavior. Just because you can go through a stop sign doesn’t mean it’s safe to do so. Sometimes drivers do not see a cyclist coming up behind them, especially as many cyclists take to the footpath during high traffic times, and cyclists don’t always make sure drivers can see them before proceeding through. And then they get angry when drivers swerve avoid them.

Something about the intersection brings out the worst – maybe it’s the rush-hour frustration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently they attach their feet to their pedals and don’t want to take the effort to undo the connection. I learned this from the bicyclist who crashed into my car which was legally stopped at a stop light as he was almost run over by another bicyclist.

They should have license plates so they can be ticketed by red light cameras.

You know, I've known cyclists with those lock-in shoes, and never made the connection with why they don't want to stop. And in my experience (YMMV) the obnoxious cyclists on the paths are largely those with the lock-in shoes. If you want to ride around with those shoes and ride like a grande prix racer, you need to find a closed circuit course, and -- bikes with lock-in shoes should be banned from public paths if those riders continue to menace other people on the paths, and ride through crosswalks.

Can we then ban the vehicles responsible for 35,000 plus deaths on collisions a year (3500 of those to pedestrians) which also pollute the air (causing lung cancer, cardio vascular disease, etc) and which are a main contributor to global warming?

hey idiot two wrongs don't make a right. Obey the freaking rules

What I was responding to was not a call to obey rules but a call to ban a certain form of biking equipment.

We ban certain off road vehicles and race are because of their "equipment". We ban drivers from wearing headphones, using cell phones, etc. Why? Public safety. These clip-in shoes almost encourage cyclists to stay in motion rather deal with the hassle of taking a second to unclip and walk their bikes.

FWIW public thoroughfares are poorly planned and outmoded around here. Places like Falls Church with new buildings nearly abutting the streets with narrow sidewalks are a disaster. Want to encourage new and multiple forms of people-powered transit? Widen things up, so that cars (a small number of slow moving vehicles), bikes, pedestrians, scooters, etc can move more easily.

Hi, I commute on DC streets, and stop at stop lights and stop signs. It is very easy to unclog. Anyone who tells you that’s their reason is being lazy and making excuses. They likely wouldn’t have stopped even with flat pedals.

Being able to clip in allows me to accelerate faster and have a higher sprint speed so that I can bike safer in street traffic.

Now let’s talk about why cars have speedometers that go up to 140, 160, etc...

[Anonymous]

I can safely say I've never witnessed or experienced a car going 140 or 160mph. And since I know I am driving a large heavy metal object I do take some care to avoid accidents, particularly with unprotected pedestrians.

But on a daily basis I witness near misses with bikers who refuse to obey basic traffic rules. Just this morning I was stopped at a red light, watching as a mom/kiddo pair and a city worker emptying garbage cans were nearly hit TWICE - first by a biker who served and then by a stupid electric scooter rider (headphones, no helmet.) Seriously people it's ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists never dismount on portions of the Mount Vernon trail, when they are supposed to (w/ signs), on very narrow portions. It's effing annoying.

You mean the crossing by the airport? That dismount sign is absurd - visibility is great and if a rider DOES need to stop, they can do so and then ride across. No good reason to dismount and walk the bike and so NO ONE does it.

No, further down and under the Arlington Memorial Bridge, on the way to Rosslyn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists never dismount on portions of the Mount Vernon trail, when they are supposed to (w/ signs), on very narrow portions. It's effing annoying.

You mean the crossing by the airport? That dismount sign is absurd - visibility is great and if a rider DOES need to stop, they can do so and then ride across. No good reason to dismount and walk the bike and so NO ONE does it.

No, further down and under the Arlington Memorial Bridge, on the way to Rosslyn.

You don't really need to dismount there either, just be polite about entering, ring your bell to signal you are coming through, etc. Its too narrow to pass even dismounted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can safely say I've never witnessed or experienced a car going 140 or 160mph. And since I know I am driving a large heavy metal object I do take some care to avoid accidents, particularly with unprotected pedestrians.

But on a daily basis I witness near misses with bikers who refuse to obey basic traffic rules. Just this morning I was stopped at a red light, watching as a mom/kiddo pair and a city worker emptying garbage cans were nearly hit TWICE - first by a biker who served and then by a stupid electric scooter rider (headphones, no helmet.) Seriously people it's ridiculous.

Plenty of people have experienced cars going to 90MPH though, and for some of them it was the last thing they ever experienced.

There are loads of near misses caused by autos. And hits - including injuries, serious injuries, and deaths.

Note well, that a bike rider who its a pedestrian is as likely to be hurt as the pedestrian, so to some degree there is a natural deterrent to riding recklessly around pedestrians. Not so much for autos, where the only deterrents are insurance and guilt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists never dismount on portions of the Mount Vernon trail, when they are supposed to (w/ signs), on very narrow portions. It's effing annoying.

You mean the crossing by the airport? That dismount sign is absurd - visibility is great and if a rider DOES need to stop, they can do so and then ride across. No good reason to dismount and walk the bike and so NO ONE does it.

No, further down and under the Arlington Memorial Bridge, on the way to Rosslyn.

You don't really need to dismount there either, just be polite about entering, ring your bell to signal you are coming through, etc. Its too narrow to pass even dismounted.

Yeah, you don't really need to follow any rules or signs as a cyclist, you can do what you want when you want, road or trail.

Sarcasm aside, yes, you absolutely need to dismount at that point. It's incredibly narrow and people are going fast. It's slightly alarming when you're a pedestrian 1/3 of the way through it, and a cyclist charges up on you. Dismount and follow the rules if you want respect as a cyclist. Don't be a jackass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Sarcasm aside, yes, you absolutely need to dismount at that point. It's incredibly narrow and people are going fast. It's slightly alarming when you're a pedestrian 1/3 of the way through it, and a cyclist charges up on you. Dismount and follow the rules if you want respect as a cyclist. Don't be a jackass.

No one should ride fast through it. I never enter it if there is a pedestrian already in it.

I wait until it's clear, and then proceed at a moderate pace. And ring my bell, in case there is someone about to enter.

And no, no one follows traffic rules that do not make sense. Look at pedestrians crossing from any bus stop that is located away from a crosswalk, but where visibility is good and traffic is slow.

Being safe and polite is what is important.

[Anonymous]

At a four-way stop I'll let a bike go in front of me, even if it is my turn. I'd do that for a pedestrian too. When I'm on a bike I won't jump in front of cars stopped at the red light, especially if they took care to safely pass me just seconds before. I think it is called being a decent and considerate human being. Most of the behavior you all are complaining about is selfish and entitled, be it on a bike or behind a wheel. Person doesn't change, what changes is amount of the risk and danger you are in when you ride a bike. So just keep that in mind, you don't know what kind of people you're dealing with on the road, but you know you can hurt a person on a bike very badly, just be mindful of that. You can only control your own actions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At a four-way stop I'll let a bike go in front of me, even if it is my turn. I'd do that for a pedestrian too. When I'm on a bike I won't jump in front of cars stopped at the red light, especially if they took care to safely pass me just seconds before. I think it is called being a decent and considerate human being. Most of the behavior you all are complaining about is selfish and entitled, be it on a bike or behind a wheel. Person doesn't change, what changes is amount of the risk and danger you are in when you ride a bike. So just keep that in mind, you don't know what kind of people you're dealing with on the road, but you know you can hurt a person on a bike very badly, just be mindful of that. You can only control your own actions.

When I'm on a bike, though, I usually prefer if cars take their turn when it's their turn -- I want them to do what I'm expecting them to do, which is use the right of way when it's theirs and yield it to me when it's mine.